(LITTLE CURRENT, ON) – The Manitoulin Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is getting ready for a busy Civic Holiday Weekend that runs from July 31 to August 3, 2020. The main objective as always is to keep the highways safe by education and targeted enforcement. You can bet officers will be watching for speeders, safety restraint use, distracted driving, impaired drivers, and other moving violations in an effort to keep our roadways, trails and waterways safe during this high traffic volume period.
The OPP will also be focussing on Ontario’s “Move Over” law which helps emergency personnel stay safe while performing their duties on Ontario roadways. Emergency personnel like police officers, Ministry of Transportation officers, fire fighters, EMS personnel, tow truck drivers and other road users lives may be endangered by drivers who chose not to obey the “Move Over” legislation.
In Ontario, Section 159(2) and (3) of the Highway Traffic Act requires drivers to slow down and proceed with caution when passing an emergency vehicle parked on the side of a highway with its lights activated. If the highway has more than one lane, the law requires the driver to move over and leave one lane between their vehicle and the parked emergency vehicle if it can be done safely. Failure to do so can result in fines starting from $400 to $2,000 and three demerit points.
The OPP believes there is no higher priority than public safety, so we encourage everyone to not only drive with safety in mind but also be aware of emergency vehicles and remember the “Move Over” law. As a driver, your actions can directly increase safety so please allow time and space while driving this Civic Holiday Weekend.
